Yakov G. Sinai, Princeton University and the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, is being awarded the 2014 Abel Prize "for his fundamental contributions to dynamical systems, ergodic theory, and mathematical physics." Sinai received the AMS Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2013 and is a Fellow of the AMS. (Photo: Princeton University Department of Mathematics.)

The Abel Prize Committee cites Sinai’s discovery of surprising connections between order and chaos and his development of the use of probability and measure theory in the study of dynamical systems. The citation continues: “His achievements include seminal works in ergodic theory, which studies the tendency of a system to explore all of its available states according to certain time statistics; and statistical mechanics, which explores the behavior of systems composed of a very large number of particles, such as molecules in a gas... Sinai has trained and influenced a generation of leading specialists in his research fields." Among his other awards are the Wolf Prize in Mathematics (1997), the Nemmers Prize in Mathematics (2002), the Henri Poincaré Prize from the International Association of Mathematical Physics (2009), and the Dobrushin International Prize from the Institute of Information Transmission of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2009).

On behalf of the American Mathematical Society, it is a great pleasure to congratulate Yakov Sinai of Princeton University and the Landau Institute, recipient of the 2014 Abel Prize. Sinai's work has changed our understanding of change; his influence can be seen from number theory to physics. Congratulations!David Vogan, AMS President

The Abel Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and recognizes contributions of extraordinary depth and influence to the mathematical sciences. Awarded annually since 2003, the prize carries a cash award of NOK 6,000,000 (approximately one million US). Sinai will receive the prize at an award ceremony in Oslo on May 20. Read more about Yakov Sinai, his achievements, and the Abel Prize.